assail
[ uh-seyl ]
/ əˈseɪl /
verb (used with object)
to attack vigorously or violently; assault.
to attack with arguments, criticism, ridicule, abuse, etc.: to assail one's opponent with slander.
to undertake with the purpose of mastering: He assailed his studies with new determination.
to impinge upon; make an impact on; beset: His mind was assailed by conflicting arguments. The light assailed their eyes.
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RELATED WORDS
impugn, blast, revile, trash, berate, criticize, lambaste, vilify, bash, blister, malign, charge, bust, beset, assault, abuse, maltreat, molest, invade, encounter
Nearby words
Origin of assail
1175–1225; Middle English asaylen < Old French asalir < Late Latin assalīre, equivalent to Latin as- as- + salīre to leap, spring
Synonym study
1. See attack.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for assail
assail
/ (əˈseɪl) /
verb (tr)
to attack violently; assault
to criticize or ridicule vehemently, as in argument
to beset or disturbhis mind was assailed by doubts
to encounter with the intention of masteringto assail a problem; to assail a difficult mountain ridge
Word Origin for assail
C13: from Old French asalir, from Vulgar Latin assalīre (unattested) to leap upon, from Latin assilīre, from salīre to leap
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
assail
c.1200, from Old French assalir "attack, assault, assail" (12c., Modern French assaillir), from Vulgar Latin *adsalire "to leap at," from Latin ad- "at" (see ad-) + salire "to leap" (see salient (adj.)). Figurative use from mid-14c. Related: Assailed; assailing; assailable.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper